Meet the Grandma Who Outran Her Kids at the Beer Mile

Elvira Montes plans to return to the world championship next year, hoping to break 20 minutes.

Elvira Montez, 81, on her way to become the oldest finisher at the 2015 Beer Mile World Championships. Caleb Kerr

Elvira Montes doesn’t even like beer. She prefers Scotch—Chivas Regal to be exact. But on Tuesday night in Austin, Texas, the 81-year-old grandmother of three from Fort Worth put her beverage predilections aside, cracked open a KCCO Gold Lager from Resignation Brewery, and began to chug.

“I should have been a little faster,” Montes told Runner’s World, disappointed in her chugging performance. “I tried to drink the first one really fast but I couldn’t. The second one went down really smooth; the third, even better. The fourth was alright.”

This was Montes' second beer mile. She ran her first at the same event last year. Though she said her drinking abilities could use some improvement, Montes is an experienced runner. She started at age 60, and in the past decade has completed five Boston Athletic Association 5Ks—twice winning her age group.

She had no idea what a beer mile was until her daughter, Renee, suggested the duo sign up for the inaugural event. “She told me, ‘Mom, all you have to do is drink four beers and run four laps,’” Montes said. “I told her that even though I don’t like beer, I’d try it.”

“I was just so happy to finish,” she said the day after, while waiting for a flight back to Fort Worth. “I feel great.”

Montes promised to make a return appearance next year and hopes to break 20 minutes. To train, she plans to drink a beer while on the treadmill.

But, after crossing the finish line with a mile in her legs and four beers in her stomach, Montes was not thinking about her next race. She was ready to celebrate. So, she took her daughter to Hooters. They had chicken wings and Scotch.